All posts by georgemcgowan

As most readers already know, the classic toy company, MEGO, relaunched earlier this year in an exclusive distribution deal with Target. The shear quantity of retro-style action figures include in the launch was impressive but the execution of the relaunch had its challenges with inconsistent roll-outs at the store level and resellers gobbling up mass quantities of the most desirable figures, leaving the rest of us to scratch our heads or give up in frustration.

Monsters were very much at the central of the “most desired figure” maelstrom, with MEGO inking smart deals with the estates of Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, allowing them to release classic monster figures without the exorbitant licensing deal with Universal. Check out our previous story about the Bela Lugosi Dracula figure.

Despite these frustrations, it’s important to note that MEGO probably couldn’t have pulled off a relaunch without the commitment of Target. Now, with three waves of figures released, MEGO is free to expand distribution beyond Target and announces an amazing line-up of classic monster action figures with some really exciting new figures in the line-up and much-improved card designs.

MEGO Wave 4 Horror Action Figures

Nosferatu (Count Orlok)

Freddy Krueger

The Invisible Man

Bela Lugosi Dracula (Red Cape)

Frankenstein’s Monster (Glow version)

Screaming Werewolf (Blue shirt)

MEGO Invisible Man 8″ Action Figure

The figures of Bela Lugosi Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Screaming Werewolf are new versions of figures released in the earlier Target-exclusive deals. I have to say that I really like the new packaging much more than the earlier waves and love the glow-in-the-dark head and hands on the Frankenstein’s Monster.

MEGO Wave 4 Release Date

According to retailers that have these figures available on their sites fro pre-order, these figures will be shipping in March or April 2019.

Pricing remains $14.99 at retail though eBay listings already have these items at a premium.

Since these products are being sold wholesale, we don’t have a complete list of retailers. Here are a few that already have these figures listed for pre-order:

While these are sure to be a hit with dedicated MEGO collectors as well as those of us who grew up with MEGO, it will be interesting to see how the brand fares with it’s retro-style with a broader collector audience who has grown used to the hyper realistic sculpts of Hot Toys and their like. Certainly the face sculpts are some of the best likenesses MEG has ever done! I prefer the whimsy of these retro-style toys and will certainly be adding several to my collection.

What are your thoughts? Which of these figures are must haves for your collections?

Marvel’s First Monster Magazine is All Fun & Games

Monsters to Laugh With #1 (Non-Pariel Publishing, 1964)

In the early 1960’s, Marvel Comics was on a role. Their unique approach to super heroes that readers could personally relate to was taking the world by storm. But the Marvel Bullpen was ever alert to trends in pop culture and wanted in on the classic monster wave that was sweeping it’s target audience in the U.S. Never afraid to copy success, Stan Lee and crew blended the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine format with the ever-popular monster joke wax packs like Topps’ You’ll Die Laughing trading cards to launch Monsters to Laugh With magazine in 1964.

The concept behind the magazine was hardly high-concept: take a selection of black and white stills from famous Hollywood monster movies and add humorous captions/speech balloons. That’s it. The magazine featured stills from dozens of different films, including most of Universal’s stable of horror titles (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, etc), as well as images from various Godzilla and King Kong movies and even some science-fiction films. Monsters to Laugh With cost 25¢ and ran around 36 pages.

Marvel’s Editor and head writer Stan Lee received the only writing credit, and even though the gags do display his corny sense of humour it’s likely the captions were the result of a group effort by Marvel bullpen. The magazine wasn’t officially a Marvel title, as it was instead released by one of publisher Martin Goodman’s other imprints, Non-Pariel Publishing Corp, for no historically clear reason other than the fact that all publishers had lost and lots of companies that published under back in the day.

(Back Cover – Issue One)

Issue #2

Issue #3

With issue #4 the comic’s title was changed to Monsters Unlimited and Stan Lee got a cover credit. Apart from that it was business as usual.

Monsters Unlimited was cancelled after issue #7 but the photo still/corny joke format would be revived in the early 1970s with Monster Madness magazine which we will cover in our next article.

Collector Value

This magazine is under the radar for everyone but the most serious of monster magazine collectors. Given its simple picture/joke caption format, it isn’t essential reading (most of the jokes are really bad) but it does capture a certain innocence of the mid-60s monster boom along with the pun-filled writing style of Stan Lee et al. Reader copies of every issue are easy to find in the $10 range and high-grade copies have steadily appreciated over the years but aren’t unreasonable. Current listings on eBay for VF and higher copies are in the $25-50 range.

Summary

Monsters to Laugh With / Monsters Unlimited was not the finest monster magazine to be published in the mid-60s by any stretch and better work was yet to come from Marvel in the 1970s, but I recommend this title for its simple fun. Monsters and kid-friendly humor was everywhere in the mid-60s and Marvel contributed nicely with this first effort.

Only One Question: To Hang This Above the Fireplace or in the Monster Cave?

Most collectors know Sideshow Toys for their incredibly lifelike statues and maquette, but the company has commissioned quite a few fine art prints over the years. Now they’ve added Count Orlok to the mix with this spooky but stunning print by artist Dan Colonna.

Pre-Orders for this 150 piece limited edition giclee will begin on Friday, October 26, 2018.

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/photo.php?sku=500683&size=feature
From their website:

Behold the horror that is Count Orlok! Replicated from an original oil-on-canvas painting, Dan Colonna’s Nosferatu Fine Art Print captures the haunting countenance of one of the most iconic vampires of the silver screen, rendered in astonishing, terrifying detail. Partially inspired by a design from Paul Conner for the “Timeless Terror” series by Quarantine Studio, this fine art collectible breathes new afterlife into the dreaded vampire count with glistening, bloodshot eyes, yellowed fangs, and wrinkled, sallow skin. Shadowed in dark tones, Count Orlok summons an air of menace and mystery that makes an unforgettable addition to any horror fan’s collection.

Horrormania ’79: Memoirs of a 10 Year Old Horror Fan is a Great Read

I’m always honored when a creator reaches out to me about a new project they are working on to ask my opinion or feedback. While I understand that I provide a media forum to promote their project, at the end of the day, I’m simply a fan like everyone else. That said, I am a big fan of the new book Horrormania ’79: Memoirs of a 10 Year Old Horror Fan by Kevin Doherty.

Self published in 2018, Kevin’s book perfectly captures a period of time at the tail end of the great pop culture Monster Boom, just as Star Wars was changing fandom and horror was stepping fully into the slasher/gore realm of the 1980s. The similarities to my own late ’70s monster kid childhood are striking and ten year old Kevin and his motley crew of friends are all kids I would have loved to have known back in my grade school days.

Kevin drew stories from his childhood journals to craft a well-written, engaging and heartfelt story of a boy teetering between childhood and the oncoming train of adolescence through the lense of a fully dedicated horror fanatic. Complete with Frank Langella’s Dracula, Star Wars, Dawn of the Dead, KISS, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fangoria, the Incredible Melting Man and more, Kevin perfectly captures this moment in time. His chapters read as short stories that all wrap together into a broader arc of personal growth, family, friendship and fandom. With chapter titles such as Horror of Nosferatu, The Amityville House of Horrors and The Horror of Dracula (and Evil Knievel) you know this a book you can relate to your own childhood. Here’s his opening paragraph of the Prologue of Horror:

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kevin Doherty. I’m forty-eight years old. And I’m a horrorholic. I love everything and anything horror. Movies, books, magazines, music, toys and well..as I said, anything horror. I consider myself a bit of an aficionado on the subject and can comfortably say that I’m a walking, talking, living and breathing horror encyclopedia.

Sound like anyone you know, dear reader? I’m guessing it does and I highly recommend you read this charming walk down nostalgia lane. I’m sure glad I did!

Topps Comic Book Heroes Sticker Sets Included The Marvel Monsters

Released by the Topps Company in 1975 and 1976, these stickers showcase just how much monsters were in the mix at the House of Ideas. Marvel Comics was in a golden era of creativity and had their own legion of monsters, grounded in the Universal Monsters archetypes but firmly planted in the Marvel Universe, alongside their own macabre creations. So it’s no surprise that when Topps released sticker sets titled Comic Book Stickers featuring characters from Marvel Comics, that monsters were in the mix.

Comic Book Heroes 1975

The 1975 set was just called “Comic Book Heroes Stickers”; it wasn’t until 1976 that the mighty Marvel brand got its name on the pack as “Marvel Super Hero Stickers”.

Marvel Super Hero Stickers – 1976

While not nearly as monster-focused as the 1975 series, the 1976 Marvel Super Heroes stickers included the addition of Blade and repeat performances by Dracula and Son of Satan. The checklist included in each pack also assembled into a large puzzle of Conan the Barbarian.

Collector Notes:

These stickers are easy to find individually, so it’s not unrealistic to set a goal of collecting a complete set. For completists, there are further variations of the stickers than shown above. Card backs can be found in both tan and white. Tan backs are believed to come from a test run. Some cards can also be found with subtle differences in the copyright info.

A quick scan of current eBay listings comes up with empty wrappers, individual stickers ranging from $3-$10 based on condition, sticker lots, a sealed sticker set for $50 and an display boxes ranging from $100 (empty) to $500 (full).

The Japanese collectible company, X-Plus, has announced the Monster Total Advance 50th Anniversary Set (Destroy All Monsters), an 11 figure set, and a new Large Monster Series Flying Ghidorah.

Japanese vinyl is a highly specialized area of collecting that I haven’t ventured into, as a collector or on this website. I frankly lack the expertise to discuss these figures in the detail they deserve. But when I saw this accumulated collection from one of my very favorite Toho kaiju films, I had to dip my toes in and share the news with my fellow monster kid collectors.

X-Plus is headquartered in Osaka, Japan and the company strives to provide high-quality statues and figures at ‘affordable’ prices. They make unbelievably realistic movie-accurate figures from our favorite kaiju movies. These figures are striking in their movie-accuracy but they are not cheap.

The 11 piece set includes Godzilla, Minya, Baragon, Manda, Anguirus, Kumonga, Varan, Mothra (larva), Rodan, Gorosaurus, and a new Flying King Ghidorah.

All of these figures, except Ghidorah, have been released previously, and all are Large Monster Series figures, which means they are approximately 10 inches high. X-Plus collectors often refer to this line as the “25cm Series”. These figures are being re-issued in the United States by Diamond so you can pre-order them at your local comic or collectible shop.

Below, I’ve included links to pre-order some of these figures through Entertainment Earth and I’ve also included links to current eBay auctions and Amazon for previous releases of these same figures.

Large Monster Series X-Plus Flying King Ghidorah

Ghidorah is 18 inches tall and comes with a base and background. The set ships in three boxes. It’s typical that some assembly is required with X-Plus figures.

Select versions of this figure will include a fabric Mount Fuji backdrop (the location of the final battle in Destroy All Monsters). No word on the size of the backdrop, but it looks pretty big (see lead image of this article). Make sure you are clear from any seller if the item you are ordering includes the backdrop or not prior to purchasing. This vinyl will have a limited run so it is possible that it will sell out before the scheduled end date. X-Plus says, though, that if there is enough interest in more, they will follow up with a second run. Preorders will end on October 2, 2018 as long as they don’t reach the maximum number for the run. It is expected to ship November 2018.

Large Monster Series X-Plus Rodan

Originally a stand-along Kaiju character separate from the Godzilla franchise, Rodan is a powerful Pteranodon that allies with Godzilla to save Monster Island and the world from monstrous threats. Here, this Rodan 1964 Version Kaiju Vinyl Figure – Previews Exclusive recreates Rodan as he appeared in 1964’s kaiju film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. In excellent detail, Rodan measures about 24-inches wide x 15 3/4-inches tall x 7-inches long!

Large Monster Series X-Plus Manda & Mothra Larva

Manda measures about 18-inches long and comes with a faux rock to help support its upraised head and also serves to reproduce his pose in that final scene at Mount Fuji at the end of the film. The Mothra Larva is a little over 9-inches long, and also comes with a rock base of its own.

Large Monster Series X-Plus Kumonga

X-Plus captures the look of the monstrous Kumonga as he appeared in the 1967 film, Son of Godzilla! Also known to Western audiences as Spiga or Spiega, the leg span of this vinyl figure is a massive 20-inches long!

Large Monster Series X-Plus Baragon and Varan

From classic 1968 film, Destroy All Monsters, comes this Godzilla Kaiju 8-Inch Series Baragon and Varan 1968 Version Sofubi Vinyl Figures – Previews Exclusive! This 2-packl includes your favorite kaiju from the movie. Baragon stands about 12-inches tall and Varan is sculpted in scale and comes with a rock base for display.

Large Monster Series X-Plus Gorosaurus

As a gigantic dinosaur resembling a Tyrannosaurus Rex, this Gorosaurus is based on his appearance in 1968’s kaiju epic, Destroy All Monsters! The Godzilla Kaiju Series Gorosaurus 1968 Version Sofubi Vinyl Figure – Previews Exclusive stands approximately 10-inches tall with an overall length of over 15-inches to the tip of his tail. This beautifully sculpted, hand-painted vinyl figure captures every detail of this supporting kaiju in all his glory.

Large Monster Series X-Plus Anguirus

Godzilla’s spiny nemesis lives again! Once one of Godzilla’s most fearsome foes, the monster Anguirus became the mighty Godzilla’s trusted ally. This Previews Exclusive Godzilla Anguirus 1968 Version 12-Inch Vinyl Figure sculpts Anguirus based on his appearance in 1968’s Destroy All Monsters and measures 12-inches long, 24-inches long with his tail attached!

Large Monster Series X-Plus Godzilla & Minya 1968

Apparently, no re-issue has been announced for the Large Monster Series Godzilla figure, which was originally released November 2011 and is super cool! He stands 9 inches tall. There is a version that also includes an in-scale Minya figure (6 inches tall).

I have to admit that the super realism of these figures really intrigues me because they look so much like the movie versions of the characters. As a collector of mostly vintage toys, I have a deep affection for some degree of whimsy in my less-than-accurate designs. I respect the immense level of talent that goes into designing and sculpting these modern figures and it there’s any collectible category I’d be tempted to wading into it’s these remarkable movie-accurate Toho kaiju. What are your thoughts on these types of collectibles?

Kickstarter Campaign For the Ultimate Tribute to Basil Gogos

There were other cover artists who contributed to the zeitgeist that was Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in the 1960s and early 1970s, but none had the same impact as Basil Gogos. His covers were garish in their use of color and made the magazine seemingly leap from the rack into the waiting arms of young monster fans during the golden years of the Monster Boom.

Unfortunately, Basil passed away in 2017 leaving behind a legacy of creative work that inspired generations. Now the fine folks at Fantaco have teemed up with Basil’s wife Linda Touby to release the ultimate collection of his life’s work.

The Monster Art of Basil Gogos

Planned for release in April of 2019, this book will be available in both hardcover and softcover. The softcover will have 3 variant covers produced exclusively for Kickstarter backers. Here is the hardcover edition:

The Kickstarter Campaign:

FantaCo’s Kickstarter is now live and will run for 25 days during September 2018. with both hardcover ($99.95) and softcover ($40) editions available to fans that want to get their orders in early. The Kickstarter campaign begins the first week of September, and will run for 25 days.

During that time, fans can pick up the book for a reduced rate, and hardcover versions can be signed by Touby. After the Kickstarter ends, the price of the book will increase, and the project is slated for publication in late spring of 2019. Additionally, the hardcover version will feature 16 pages of material that will not be available in the softcover editions. Linda will be signing a limited number of the hardcovers for the Kickstarter campaign.

About FantaCo

FantaCo specializes in horror books and comics and is celebrating their 40th year in business. Visit them at their website here.

In 2017, FantaCo published an updated edition of the Famous Monsters Chronicles, a massive 246 page book is loaded with images and art, articles and interviews and the only complete index to every Warren Publishing issue of FM. Contains an exclusive brand new interview with Jim Warren in his own handwriting)This book was beautifully designed by Jim Whiting and is THE ultimate Famous Monsters of Filmland guide. And, of course, the front cover painting of Bela Lugosi as Dracula is by none other than Basil Gogos. Grab a copy of this while you’re waiting for the Monster Art of Basil Gogos to arrive next spring!!

Playmobil Releases Updated Haunted House & Monster Figures

Founded in 1974, Playmobil is the largest toy company in Germany and a favorite of kids and collectors for generations. While monsters and spooky characters have been offered by the company over the years, there seems to be a more concentrated effort for Halloween-themed playsets from the company now with the announcement at Toy Fair 2018 in New York earlier this year of a brand new Playmobil Haunted House Playset.

The playset is available now wherever toys are sold. I found it online at Amazon for $39.99

Playmobil Monster Figures

The playset includes 2 figures, an updated Vampire and “Monster” which looks more like the Frankenstein Monster than earlier iterations. Playmobil does not hold a Universal license and so bases it’s characters more loosely on public domain monsters of lore and fiction.

In addition to the two figures included in the playset, Playmobil has released 4 new spooky characters, including a Mummy, Grim Reaper, Witch and updated ‘Wolfman.’

Vampire Duo-Pack (5239) from 2013

Playmo-Friends Werewolf (6824) from 2016

Fi?ures Blind Bag Series Ghoul Butler (9946) from 2017

Fi?ures Blind Bag series Zombie (9446) from 2017

While unopened Fi?ures blind bags are easy to find online, you take the gamble that you will get some other random figure. The easiest way to add the monstrous figures is to buy them loose, which you can easily do for $5 or so for these newer figures on eBay:

Playmobil Ghost figure (3317) from 1983

Available for over 20 years, this figure is the first ‘spooky’ character from Playmobil and as a result isn’t hard to find. Mint in box figures show up for $20-$30 on eBay and loose figures are easy to find for $10 on eBay.

While I’ve never collected Playmobil, I did love these toys as a kid and I really like both Haunted House playlets. I’ll be adding at least one of these to my Halloween decor this year and maybe even keep it on display year-round. We’ll see!

Do you collect Playmobil? If so, what else should we know about these fun toys? Would you add these to your monster or Halloween collection now that you know about them? Let us know your thoughts!

Summer is winding down and for us monster kids that means we’re edging closer to the most wonderful time of year, Halloween. And in the grocery aisle, that means the General Mills Monster Cereals will soon make their annual appearance.Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Franken Berry should start creeping around cereal aisles across the U.S. at the end of this month.

New this year, the trio also will be appearing in the game section of the store (along with Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy) in “Monster Crunch: The Breakfast Battle Game.”

Between last year’s cool Universal Monsters Halloween costumes and decor, the new Mego action figure launch and now the General Mills Monster Cereal games, Target continues to be a new go-to retailer for exclusive retro monster goodies!

Starting August 26, Target will stock the Monster Crunch game. It also will be available on Target.com.

“We loved the idea of bringing Monster Cereals fun beyond breakfast or a midnight snack. Monster Cereals are only available for a limited time for Halloween, so the retro game gives us an opportunity to share these beloved characters with families and cereal fanatics year-round,” says Taylor Roseberry, assistant marketing communications manager for Monster Cereals. “It’s been a few years since Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy cereals have been available, so this year we are excited to introduce these characters through fun game play and activities.”

So, what made the Monster Cereals game-worthy?

The characters now span generations, and the concept of eating a bunch of delicious cereal is relatable and simple enough to adapt into a family-friendly game. Big G Creative describes Monster Crunch as follows:

In this fast-paced game of luck and strategy, players collect as many Cereal Cards in their Bowls as they can. Each Monster has special powers to give you an advantage and help you gobble up the most cereal. Use Milk Tokens to combine Cereal Cards and take bigger bites. The Monster Cereals character that munches the most wins the game!

Want more of the Monsters?

All five of them are featured in a 500-piece Monster Cereals puzzle, also appearing first at Target, this month.

The official launch of the Monster Cereals games was earlier this month at Gen Con Gaming Convention, and as a result, both Monster Cereal Puzzle and Monster Cereal Crunch Game are already available on eBay along with a wide variety of vintage monster cereal collectibles, if you don’t want to wait for them to roll out at your local Target store.

The Monster Crunch board game will be available for $19.99 and the puzzle retails for $12.99, both are exclusively available at Target.

Amidst all the fun new classic monster merchandise to be found at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, nothing is more exciting to me personally than the return of Mego action figures! It isn’t overstatement to say that Mego was the defining toy brand for many a 70s childhood with their lineup of super heroes, Planet of the Apes and classic monster dolls, I mean, action figures!

Mego figures are highly collectible and there are passionate communities on the internet with great expertise on these classic toys. These groups have been abuzz about the return of Mego and it’s iconoclastic founder, Marty Abrams, since Mego Meet earlier this summer.

At Comic-con, Mego revealed its Wave I line-up which will be sold exclusively at Target stores in the U.S. starting this summer. Decidedly retro in it’s lineup, the single figure that has our rapt attention is the new Bela Lugosi Dracula figure. Officially licensed by Lugosi Enterprises, this is

This figure is eight-inches and true to the original Mego stye. Sold exclusively at Target, it will retail for $14.99.

Mego Mad Monster Figures

The fact that Mego officially licensed Lugosi’s likeness is intriguing simply because Mego’s previous run at classic monster action figures, the much loved Mad Monsters lineup from 1974, were intentionally public domain versions of the classic Universal Monsters. Dreadful Dracula, The Human Wolfman, The Horrible Mummy and the Monster Frankenstein drew influence from the literary world rather than the Universal characters and were a huge hit with 70s kids then and collectors today.

While a dedicated article about Mego’s Mad Monsters is well past due on this website, there is little I could add that isn’t included in this well-done video from the Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions gang.

Watch the Mega Mad Monsters documentary:

The Mad Monster figures are tremendously collectible and can be quite expensive. A quick survey of eBay shows the several current auctions averaging around $75 for loose figures and several hundred for figures in package. Figures Toy Company re-issued these figures a few years back and they can be easily found online for $15 at EntertainmentEarth

Mego is planning a Wave 2 release this October so we have reason to hope that more classic monsters will be included in the lineup. Which monsters do you most hope to see? Do you want licensed or unlicensed figures?